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Ruakaka filly strengthens Oaks bid with thrilling victory

Lightly raced filly Spine Tingle sent shivers down the backs of plenty of her potential Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) rivals with a stunning victory at New Plymouth on Saturday. Bred and raced by the Hawkins family under their Llanhennock Trust banner, the Super Easy three-year-old went into Saturday’s Listed Fasttrack Insurance Oaks Prelude (1800m) at New Plymouth with just two runs under her belt, including a last start victory over 1400m on her home track at Ruakaka...

Kermadec provides Karaka update

 VIDEO: Sabie Park parading as a yearling...

No time for Mai Tais as Karaka looms

COVID-19 hit plenty of racing plans when it closed the industry down in March, not least that of promising mare Mai Tai. Mai Tai was getting set for her second start following a fourth placing on debut when lockdown hit, forcing trainer Jamie Richards and owners Llanhennock Trust – made up of the Hawkins family from Wentwood Grange in Cambridge – to wait until the current season to get her career going. But she hasn’t disappointed, topping off a very good five months with victory in the St...

Cheers for Mai Tai at Ellerslie

Wentwood Grange-bred and owned mare Mai Tai delivered a great Christmas present in the Stella Artois Championship Final (1500m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.  “I’m really proud of Mai Tai, who has made a lot of progress recently,” trainer Jamie Richards said. “I was a little worried about her being back right-handed today, but she’s handling everything very professionally in this campaign.  “She’s very effective at what she does. “She’ll probably have a bit of a break n...

Dragon Storm takes out thrilling New Zealand Cup

Ruakaka raider Dragon Storm produced the performance of his life when he took out the Gr.3 Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton in a thrilling finish to the time-honoured event. The Chris Gibbs-trained six-year-old was well fancied in the race after a stunning five-length victory in his final lead-up run over 3000m.  By Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) winner Shocking out of two-time Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m) winner Prize Lady, his undoubted staying credentials strengthened hi...

Winning double for Wentwood graduates

Stephen Marsh posted a winning double at Te Aroha with a pair of Wentwood Grange-bred gallopers. Debutant Raggedy Doll picked up a cash bonus for her connections when winning the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1200m). The four-year-old daughter of Hallowed Crown and Group One winner Miss Raggedy Ann had six trial starts on her record before her trip to the races and despite showing a lack of ringcraft, finished the best in a four horse field. “She has been a slow maturing filly and has alway...

The Chosen One a brave Cup fourth

New Zealand-trained stayer The Chosen One finished a gallant fourth in Tuesday’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) won by the Joseph O’Brien-trained Twilight Payment. O’Brien’s father Aidan again played second fiddle to his son, with Tiger Moth finishing runner-up, reminiscent of the 2017 Melbourne Cup, when Joseph’s Rekindling denied Aidan’s Johannes Vermeer. Perennial Cup placegetter Prince Of Arran finished third ahead of the Kiwi. Prepared by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, The Chose...

Bennett hoping for a Karaka day at Flemington

While Flying Start Syndications Director Cameron Bennett is disappointed he won’t be able to be on course to watch Let’s Karaka Deel in the Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday, he is over the moon to have a strong contender in the race. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained colt is one of the form horses of the field, having won and placed twice in his four career starts, including a last-start runner-up performance in the Gr.3 Neds Classic (2000m) at Caulfield. “It ...

McDonald amped for Cox Plate ride

Expat New Zealand jockey James McDonald may have failed to regain his ride aboard star Kiwi mare Verry Elleegant for the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) but he is looking forward to riding her compatriot in another Group One feature this weekend. The leading Sydney hoop will partner the Chris Waller-trained Kolding in the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday where the Ocean Park gelding has drawn gate 10 in the 14 horse field. Kolding has won his last two assignments, including the Gr....

Kolding Cox Plate bound

Dual Group One winner Kolding is Cox Plate bound following a facile win in the Gr.2 Quincy Seltzer Hill Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.  The last start winner of the Gr1. George Main Stakes (1600m) was the first of four winners for jockey James McDonald on the  feature race day.  Jumping from barrier two McDonald settled the five-year-old son of Ocean Park on speed,  easing away from the field from the 400m mark to claim a two-length victory over Avili...

Emocean rises to the task in Classic

Four-year-old mare High Emocean (NZ) (Ocean Park) has added black-type to her already impressive resume with a dominant victory in the Listed R.M. Ansett Classic (2415m) at Mornington on Sunday.By Ocean Park, the mare has now won five from 11 races with another five placings and continues to impress the stable with her toughness.“That was fantastic, she’s an amazing little filly, she’s very brave,” co-trainer David Eustace said.“It was the plan to come here and win a stakes r...

Baker chases fifth Underwood crown

Hall of Fame trainer Murray Baker has won the Gr.1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield four times already so he well knows the formidable task he has set for The Chosen One on Saturday. Baker's previous four winners - The Phantom (1990), Lion Tamer (2011), Dundeel (2013) and Bonneval (2017) - would easily find a place among a who's who of New Zealand galloping greats over the past 30 years. While five-year-old Savabeel entire The Chosen One has won six of his 23 starts - four of those at stake...

Kolding claims second Group One

Wentwood Grange graduate Kolding claimed the second Group One win of his career in the Gr.1 George Main Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday.  The five-year-old son of Ocean Park was a star of the spring last season, winning the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and the inaugural winner of the $7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m).   Jockey Tommy Berry rode Kolding forward from barrier seven settling him in second position outside of the leader Dreamforce, before quickening at the 300m ma...

High Emocean a quality stayer in the making

Progressive staying filly High Emocean (NZ) (Ocean Park) has continued her own winter rise through the grades and in the process ended the winning sequence of her stablemate Persan at Caulfield.Persan was chasing his fourth-straight city win this winter and fifth victory in his past six starts in Saturday’s Mark Needham Handicap (2394m) for three-year-olds in which he had to lump top weight of 62kg.The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Persan started the $3.80 favourite and sett...

Avondale win for Make Time

The Stephen McKee-trained Make Time (NZ) (Makfi) broke maiden ranks on Wednesday with a comfortable victory at Avondale in testing conditions. The three-year-old gelding, who races in the Go Racing silks for the Penrhyn Syndicate, had been building up to the win running third in each of his three previous starts before racing was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We had to ease off him because of lockdown,” McKee said. “He did have that fitness edge and I was pretty sure...

Sully set to thrive in wet conditions

Group One performer Sully will be vying to nab an elusive stakes victory when he contests the Listed WJ McKell Cup (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The five-year-old son of Reliable Man has placed at stakes level on five occasions, including the Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m), Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m), and Gr.2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m). The gelding has been hampered by a few issues, but trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young are excited to send their horse north to Sydney to conte...

Diamondsandbubbles relishing Pakenham surface

Former Kiwi Diamondsandbubbles continued her strong form on the synthetic track at Pakenham on Friday, setting a new track record when successful over 2200m. The David Brideoake-trained daughter of Commands came with a well-timed run under in-form rider Billy Egan to defeat Mr Monaco. The five-year-old mare has now won three of her 10 starts for Brideoake, having commenced her career in the care of Moira Murdoch for whom she was a winner. “She is going super and it was good to get her back o...

High class filly scores at Sandown

Trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace secured an early double at Sandown on Wednesday with a pair of Kiwi-bred fillies.The stable's first win came the way of Mystique Falcon breaking her maiden before Maher teamed up with jockey Jye McNeil again to win the following race with Ocean Park three-year-old High Emocean. It was the second win on-end for the filly and Maher admitted to being fairly confident heading into the 2400m event. “She has really bounced through her last run,” Maher said. ...

Melbourne Cup realistic target for young Kiwi stayer

Cambridge trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman were delighted with the gallant performance of The Chosen One, who finished second to fellow New Zealand raider Etah James in Saturday’s Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m). The Chosen One finished 0.2 lengths behind the winner on a less than ideal Heavy8 surface.   “It was obviously a very testing track and I was actually surprised how well he performed on it,” Forsman said. “In the end, the track conditions probably cost him. The winner ...

Lim's Dashing scores first-up

Daniel Meagher gave further proof of his reputation as a patient trainer after Lim’s Dashing (NZ) (Darci Brahma) scored first-up from a 10-month spell in Singapore on Friday night.Lim's Dashing was bred under Wentwood Grange's Llanhennock Trust banner before being sold through their 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock draft.The eight-year-old gelding was a stable transfer from Stephen Gray and came with a handy record of three wins and 10 placings from 25 starts before needing a bone chip operation. �...

Wentwood graduate takes Taranaki juvenile feature

A powerful finishing burst carried lightly raced filly Bonita Aurelia to her first career victory when she downed the favourites in Saturday’s Gr.3 Woburn Farm 2YO Classic (1200m) at New Plymouth. In breaking her maiden status, the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained two-year-old also provided Novara Park stallion Sweynesse with both his first winner and first at stakes level with her gritty performance. Well favoured when making her raceday debut back in October, Bonita Aurelia was trappe...

Variety and quality in Wentwood Grange draft

The Hawkins family’s Wentwood Grange has become a renowned source of quality thoroughbred talent, and their draft for the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale has the credentials to continue that trend. Graduates of Wentwood Grange’s yearling drafts at Karaka include this season’s Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and A$7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m) hero Kolding, along with fellow Group One winners Sacred Elixir, Kermadec and Gust of Wind. Little Bridge, who was sold for just $9...

Wentwood Grange on Kiwi Bred

Trackside's Kiwi Bred show came to the farm and host Emily Bosson chatted with Sean and Dean about the farm and our graduate's recent success. ...

Howl runs another screamer

Howl (NZ) (Showcasing) showed on Sunday that the best way to ride him was still at the head of affairs.The six-year-old has been switched to waiting tactics a few times in his 25 previous runs, but the results had not been conclusive.Back to his favourite positive tactics in the S$50,000 Class 4 Division 2 race over 1200m, Howl seems to grow another leg.Even when Our Dynamite came testing him round the bend, he never surrendered the whip hand.Regaining the lead, How kept finding under jocke...

Wentwood Grange cherish winning weekend

A partnership that began with the establishment of Wentwood Grange Stud back at the beginning of the century can lay claim to a unique breeding connection on the weekend after Kolding (NZ) (Ocean Park) took out the inaugural running of the A$7.5m Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday, a result preceded by the victory of Exceedance (Exceed And Excel) in the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.Retired Australian businessman and former professional rugby leagu...